Why I teach: Sadie Clinkenbeard, fourth grade teacher, Springfield

I just had such positive role models as teachers that I wanted to be that for my students. I also was able to do A+ tutoring through Parkview, and I got placed at Sunshine in a first grade room and fell in love with what that teacher did every single day. And so I went to college, and that was my plan, and I did all of my years at MSU and then started off my teaching at Weaver and then have moved over to Sunshine. There's teachers here that were here when I went here as a student. They don't like to know that, but it's really great to know that I'm passing on the skills that I had the privilege of learning from my teachers, whether it's academics or social, emotional or personal management — just all those skills that I'm able to then pass on to my students and then hope that they carry on into future grade levels.

My first year teaching was the COVID year, and so that was such an experience, but it's been exactly what I thought it was of — it's constant learning. We're adapting every year to meet the needs of our individual students, our individual families that we have that year and then also changing with curriculum needs and changing with district requirements and state requirements. And it can be overwhelming at times, but at other times it's so rewarding.

One of my biggest joys is students come to fourth grade not always ready for fourth grade. And so being able to give them the skills to tackle those grade level standards and that grade level learning and see those light up moments with them, but then also hear from their parents as well that my child is enjoying school and being able to do all these skills and just show so much growth.

It's a good thing for students to see. School wasn't always the easiest thing for me. It was very challenging. And so it's good for students to see that, even though school might be hard right now, it's not going to be hard forever. I wanted my classroom to be inviting to all students and just the different learning types, and a big part of that is just the flexible seating I have in this classroom that allows for students to engage in the learning, even if their body needs to move a little, or if they need to sit somewhere else to do that learning. And luckily, I've been so blessed to be able to get so many things to do that. And the bike pedals I use in my classroom are from a district training. The gray chairs are provided by the school. And so it just gives students the opportunity to branch out. But then also throughout the day, there's not that expectation. If they have to sit at their desks all day, they're able to move around the room and learn in an environment that's best for them. We do reading rotations in here, so we have four rotations and only one rotation there at their desk. All the other times all the kids are throughout the room. And of course, that takes a classroom management piece. But it's so great for students to have that movement and be able to collaborate in areas and then also from the teacher perspective, to trust that when we send them off, they're doing what they're supposed to.

I definitely teach fourth grade, so sometimes the social and emotional needs can be a lot, but what is so great is to help them teach the skills of how to face those challenges. Our school uses PBIs and Conscious Discipline as our behavior management systems, and conscious discipline really does a great job of having students self-reflect on their emotions. And there's no such thing as a bad feeling, it's how you handle that feeling. And so teaching fourth grade, we do that in every moment of our day. But teaching students those skills so then that way, later on, they know how to use those skills as well. And sometimes part of it also is working with the parents on how to you develop this skill within your child when there's a lack of understanding or a lack of ability. And then also it helps when our students are able to build connections in the whole building. So if I have a student who I have a great connection with, but they have also a great connection with the PE coach, our school does such a great job of let him go, take a break with him, let him go, talk out whatever emotion he is having and then come back to class ready to learn. And it helps students to of just using skills and strategies and having those processes in place of, when I get upset, I can go to a safe place. I can reflect there. I can ask to go to a buddy room. Because even as adults, right, there's sometimes where we don't want to stay in that area, we want to kind of walk out, we want to take a break. And so students have that ability to go and self-reflect and then be able to come back and have that productive conversation about their needs.

What would you want parents and just the general public, to know about what it's like to be a teacher?

It's their child times 20. But it's so rewarding. And I have great parents this year, and it's been so great of, when I send home a practice or something, it's not extra work for your child to do, it's extra practice that's going to help support them in the classroom. And so there's never something that's sent home without an intention. Everything we do is intentional and well thought out. And so in the end, our goal is to see student growth and achievement and make sure they're successful and career ready for the future. And so as we do that, making sure that communicating with parents is so important. Our district just started using a new platform this year named Seesaw, and that's been so helpful to have a platform that's the same across the district and so that our parents can easily communicate with any teacher needed.